Manufacture of articles from wood or vegetable pulp



(No Model.)

B. F. PRESCOTT.

MANUFACTURE 01? ARTICLES FROM W001) 0E VEGETABLE PULP. No. 264,100. Patented Sept.12, 1882.

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UNrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. PRESCOTT, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM WOOD OR VEGETABLE PULP..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 264,100, dated September 12, 1582, Application filed March 13, 1882. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatl, EDWARD F. PRESCOTT, of Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Process for the Manufacture of Articles from Wood or Vegetable Pulp,

of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description, reference being bad to the accompauying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a sheet or slab of wood pulp marked with circles to in- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the circular unfinished blank punched therefrom. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a finished blank. Fig.

4 is a cross-section on the line 00 0a of the un finished blank shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the finished blank shown in Fig. 3 on the line y y.

The process consists, first, in forming a sheet or slab of wood or vegetable pulp of the necessary thickness; second, in cutting or punching therefrom, while the same is, as it may be termed, in temper, a blank which shall approximate to the shape of the article which it isdesired to produce; and, third, in submitting said blank to pressure in a suitable press or mold, whereby itis compacted, solidified, and made to assume the desired shape.

In the drawings, A represents a slab or sheetof wood-or vegetable pulp. It is formed in a suitable mold by partially or entirely filling the same with the pulp mixture or composition, and then compressing it thereinto the desired thickness, or in any other desirable way. It should not be compressed so hard that blanks cannot readily be cut, dinked, or punched therefrom, and the best consistency or temper, I think, is that which the sheet or slab has when it will slightly bend of its own weight when taken hold of at one corner and held in a horizontal position; but of course I do not confine myself to this temper, as any temper which will permit of the successful practice of the process as hereinafter described may be used. From the slab I cut, die, or punch blanks which approximate the shape of the article which I desire to make; and in the drawings I have represented as that article a spoolhead for the large spools used on spinning and other like machines.

B represents the blank. It. is submitted to the action ofa mold and follower, press,or rolls, whereby it is solidified, well compacted, and made to assume the desired shape. Of course this mold or rolls have any desirable configuration for the purpose ot'oruanieuting the surface of the article, and if it is desired to give the article thus formedadditional pressure at a subsequent time the molds, rolls, or press may be so formed and supported that such additional pressure may be provided; and I have ascertained that by using this additional pressure the appearance of the article is somewhatimproved; but- I do not consider this'to be an essential step of the process.

Among the articles that can be made'by this process, besides spool-heads, I would mention mirror and brush backs and handles, plates and saucers, moldings, frames, trays, buttons, curtain-rings, car ornaments, in kstand-bases, and bases for other purposes, 850.

The advantages of this process over the ordinary method of molding wood or vegetable pulp consists in the saving that is made in molds and in the speed with which the article can be produced, as by the old process it was necessary to provide two sets of very expensive perforated molds for each article that was made, in the first of which the article was approximately formed, and in the second of which it was completed, and by this process I am enabled to do away with the first and most expensive molds.

Of course I may form the slab or sheet of pulp in anyother desirable way than that herein described without departing from the spirit ofthis invention. It is essential, however, that the texture of the slab or sheet shall be that which is provided by molding it, as above described-that is, the fibers of the pulp should not run in one direction through the mass, but should cross each other in all directions, knitting the mass well together, and in this respect the slab or sheet differs from leather-board or pasteboard from which soles and heels are (linked or box-blanks out.

I reserve the right to make a separate application for patent fora spool having formed wood-pulp heads. I

hen the article to be formed is larger or thicker at one place than another and requires more pulp or stock at said enlarged part, the

2 seamen slab or sheet of pulp may be molded or formed to a shape approximating the form of the article by being made thicker in some portions than in others, or by having projections upon its surface, these projections being arranged, of course, so that the blanks can be made from the slab or sheet with as little Waste of stock as possible. \Vhen the blank is thus approximately shaped in the slab or sheet it will not be necessary touse as much pressure in finishing in the molds and bringing them to their ultimate form.

In someinstances,\vhen flat articles are made, or articles that do not need to be finished upon their edge, a forming pressure can be obtained in a. suitable press and the edge of the article subsequently finished by sandpapering, or in any other suitable Way.

In lieu 0t cutting the blanks troin the slab or sheet, and then compressing them, I may run the slab or sheet through rollers having suitahle configuration, and properly compress and solidify the pulp into the desired form or shape upon two surfaces, and then cut or punch the blank therefrom and finish its edges by smoothing in any desirable manner, and I therefore, in practicing this process, do not confine myself to punching the blanks from the sheet or slab before they have received their forming pressure; and, it desired,I may insert a spindle or metallicv stifi'ening pieces, studs, or supportsin the pulp before it is molded toits approximate shape, and mold the pulp about them under pressure, in which-event the said spindle or pieces areintroduced either in the sheet or slab before molding,orare pressed into the blank by the pressure used in bringing it to its ultimate form.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States The process of making articles from Wood or vegetable pulp, consisting in forming a sheet or slab of pulp of uniform texture throughout, as described, and in punching or cutting therefrom while in proper temper blanks of the desired shape, and in pressing and forming said blanks to the desired configuration or shape, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

EDW'ARD F. PRESCOTT.

\Vitnesses:

1*. F. RAYMOND, 2d, WILLARD O. Foes. 

